2011年， 肯尼亚企业家凯瑟琳∙玛胡古（Catherine Mahugu）想到可以利用技术改变现状。她决定试试看。

玛胡古凭借自己的计算机学科学士学位，与美国企业家埃拉∙潘诺维奇（Ella Peinovich）和格温德林∙弗洛伊德（Gwendolyn Floyd）一起创办了Soko电子商务平台，帮助手工艺者利用基本的移动电话向世界各地的消费者出售产品。

玛胡古在谈到Soko的时候说，“这是一个有助于改善时尚界现状的品牌。”她还介绍了一些市场营销的窍门。

手工艺者需要向公司登记，以便上传产品图片，刊登在Soko的电子商务平台上。如果有消费者购买，Soko就派人取货，然后寄出。

事实证明，玛胡古的方式很受欢迎。2014年，有1,000多名手工艺者登记，向30个国家的消费者出售了42,000件物品。此外，他们的平均家庭收入增加了40%。

玛胡古说，数字说明了公司受手工艺者欢迎的程度， 但同时也在公司发展的问题上遇到了实际的挑战。

她谈到Soko遇到的各种挑战以及公司团队采取的解决办法：

基础设施不足。玛胡古说，“我们有一个内部物流网络，可以弥补这里[肯尼亚]基础设施[运输]的不足，同时解决地址不完整的问题。”

相关服务不可靠。电力中断和因特网瘫痪使协调工作遇到困难，特别是因为很多 手工艺者居住在农村地区，电力和通讯都很欠缺。为了解决这方面的问题，玛胡古为在线模式开发了灵活的操作工具。她说，“我们已经能够通过线下的社会网络应用[这些工具]。”这些工具说明Soko甚至可以在没有电力的情况下发挥功能。

技术应用迟缓。玛胡古说，“非洲的电子商务文化还没有发达国家那样繁荣。” Soko接受移动汇款，可以解决人们不信任在线支付的问题。公司还通过社会媒体解决纠纷。这些方式提供了有积极意义的消费者体验。

Soko 希望这个平台可以扩大到其他非洲国家，为那里的手工艺者提供服务。玛胡古说，通过一些关键的指标可以确定哪些国家可以为电子商务平台提供可行的市场，其中包括是否实行移动汇款，采用新技术的速度，运货服务的可靠性，现有基础设施的质量和政府对创业者的政策。

玛胡古说，“因特网使如何在非洲经商发生了革命性变化。”为了取得成功，企业家必须“追随变革和创新的潮流，不能与之背道而驰”。

How do these artisans with limited Internet sell so much online?

For years, women throughout Kenya have earned income by making jewelry. But the global market is complex. Middlemen often control access, and that has limited these artisans’ earning potential.

In 2011, Kenyan entrepreneur Catherine Mahugu thought technology could help, so she set out to prove it.

Armed with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, Mahugu teamed up with U.S. entrepreneurs Ella Peinovich and Gwendolyn Floyd to start Soko, an e-commerce platform where artisans can sell their jewelry to consumers around the world using basic mobile phones.

“It’s a brand that helps fashion a better world,” Mahugu said of Soko, revealing a bit of marketing savvy in her description.

Mahugu said Soko’s platform breaks from traditional business models by offering women at the start of the supply chain access to the global market. These jewelry makers do not need a computer, Internet access or even a bank account. A mobile phone provides them the connection.

Artisans register with the company in order to upload product photos to Soko’s e-commerce platform. When a consumer purchases an item, Soko sends a courier to pick it up and have it shipped.

Mahugu’s approach has proven popular. In 2014, more than 1,000 artisans were registered. They sold 42,000 items to consumers in 30 countries. What’s more, their average household income grew by 400 percent.

While the numbers explain the company’s popularity with artisans, Mahugu said she has faced real challenges in ramping up the company. Here are the challenges she talked of and solutions the team at Soko is employing to beat them:

Failing infrastructure. “We have an in-house logistics network just to compensate for the lack of [transportation] infrastructure here [in Kenya] and the incomplete addresses,” Mahugu said.

Unreliable services. Power interruptions and Internet outages make coordination difficult, especially because many artisans live in rural areas with less power and connectivity. To compensate, Soko has developed resilient operational tools for an online model. “We’ve been able to apply [these tools] through an offline social network,” Mahugu said. These tools mean that Soko can function even when the power goes out.

Slow technology adoption. “The e-commerce culture in Africa has yet to blossom like it has in the developed countries,” Mahugu said. Soko accepts mobile money “just to tackle the issue of distrust of online payments.” The company also settles disputes through social media. These methods provide a positive customer experience.

Soko hopes to expand its platform to artisans in other African countries. Mahugu said there are key indicators as to whether a country is a viable market for the e-commerce platform. They include the availability of mobile money, the adoption rate of new technology, the reliability of shipping services, the quality of existing infrastructure and government policies toward entrepreneurs.

“Internet connectivity is just revolutionizing how businesses in Africa operate,” Mahugu said. To be successful, entrepreneurs must “go with the tide of change and innovation, not against it.”